Maritime graduate loves the superyacht lifestyle

Cruising the Caribbean while getting paid for it? Sounds all a bit too good to be true but that’s exactly what 27 year old Sam Webb is doing.

Sam’s one of many young Kiwis on an OE working on superyachts around the world. Last heard, Sam was on board the luxury motor yacht Sunrise* leaving the picturesque Bequia before heading to Tobago Cays.

“I’m loving every minute of it,” says Sam. “Although sometimes it gets a bit hectic cooking for 12 crew and 10 guests – breakfast, lunch and dinner!

“The industry has turned out to be everything I imagined and more. The travelling side of it is amazing; for the last six nights I have gone to sleep in one country and woken up in another. I don't know of any other job where you could do this!”

Sam’s worked on the Sunrise for the last six months as a chef having completed a STCW qualification with Bay of Plenty Polytechnic.

“The Polytech course was great preparation for my job. Aside from the fact that I had to have the qualification to get a job on a superyacht in the first place, it gave me more than just a basic understanding of both how to survive in an emergency and how to live on a yacht with a lot of other crew in a confined space.

“Since completing my qual and talking to people who’ve completed the same qual in other places both in NZ and abroad, there is no doubt in my mind that the Polytech’s course is by far the most indepth and informative.”

If you’re thinking of working on cruise ships, superyachts, oil rigs, merchant vessels or in the commercial fishing industry anywhere in the world then having a STCW95 qualification is an international requirement. Bay of Plenty Polytechnic has limited spaces available in July, August and September. Call 0800 BOPPOLY for more information.

*NB: to protect the security of the motor yacht and all that sail on her, the name has been changed.